Brumbies skipper believe the gap has closed with Kiwi sides
A new Wallabies coach and looming World Cup selection has added another level of intrigue to this year’s Super Rugby Pacific, when Australian teams will bid to end an eight-year title drought.
While the bustling Brumbies came within a point of reaching the decider last year, edged by the Blues in the semi-finals 20-19, no Australian team has lifted the trophy since the NSW Waratahs in 2014.
A Kiwi team, predominantly the Crusaders who have won the last four straight, has won every year since the NSW breakthrough.
Brumbies skipper Allan Alaalatoa felt Australian teams had closed the gap on their trans-Tasman rivals, with the next step a title.
Leading the local charge the Canberra outfit had four wins over New Zealand sides last season against three losses, while the Waratahs were next best with a 2-4 record.
He says his team are now set up to stay in the fight until the fulltime whistle.
“Our greatest learning from the year before was we were in it for 60 minutes, but the depth of their squads came on and pushed them over the line,” Alaalatoa said.
“A lot of our younger boys in 2021 learned the impact our bench can bring and an understanding that they’ve got a job to do to put us in a position to win.
“Last year our finishers were really good in this space … that’s something we’ve worked really well on in the past and something we’ll rely on heavily this year as well.”
It’s a lesson for the Queensland Reds, whose hopes of going deep in the finals last year were hamstrung by their woeful 0-6 record against Kiwi teams.
Coach Brad Thorn recognised their weakness.
“We were a finals footy team last year but didn’t go as far as we wanted to,” he said.
“We led teams at halftime and there was one point in it with 25 minutes to go against the Crusaders (in the losing quarter-final).
“We’ve got to take it up to another level at the business end of games … that’s the challenge.”
After a winless 2021 the Waratahs surged into the quarter-finals last season under new coach Darren Coleman and are confident they can continue to progress.
Michael Hooper, who captained the Tahs to the 2014 title, is making no secret of the side’s desire to break their near decade-long title drought.
“Every team wants to win the title. It’s no different for us,” Hooper said ahead of Friday night’s season opener against the Brumbies at Allianz Stadium.
“We’re confident, we’re ambitious as a team.”
Melbourne and the Western Force both missed the eight-team play-offs with the Perth team parachuting Simon Cron in as the new coach while they recruited heavily, luring the likes of Hamish Stewart, Bayley Kuenzle, and Reesjan Pasitoa.
New Force captain Michael Wells didn’t see the inexperienced nature of the squad as a barrier to winning the title.
“Age sometimes becomes a bit of an excuse,” he said.
“We expect those guys to learn quickly and perform, because they do make up the bulk of the group.
“They don’t have any scars of the past, they’ve got enthusiasm.”
While Australian teams are desperate to end that dominance, there are other prizes at stake.
Incoming Australia coach Eddie Jones has underlined how Super form will sway his selections for the September tournament in France, with all positions up for grabs.
Particular focus will be on five-eighths and fullbacks in Australia’s five Super sides, with both Test slots wide open after a merry-go-round of players used by previous Wallabies coach Dave Rennie.
Veteran Melbourne Rebels utility back Reece Hodge, who has also played 62 Tests, said the change in coach presented an exciting opportunity for all players.
“Obviously it’s great, that guys who potentially might have thought they were out of the selection equation, based on the last three years, have now got a shot to impress Eddie,” Hodge told AAP.
“There’s going to be a massive emphasis on guys performing, particularly in the early rounds of Super Rugby so it’s exciting and hopefully that breeds great competition not only within the Aussie side but also with the other teams.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Just came back from the game and the atmosphere was amazing. Players stayed afterwards for more than a hour to sign stuff and take photos with fans. Great day out.
4 Go to commentsA great game. The Sharks without Etsebeth are a shadow of the team compared to when he plays. The limitations of Some of the expensive Sharks players are being exposed. Credit to Clermont for some exhilaration play at times.
4 Go to comments100% Mr Owens. But who would want to be a referee.? It must be the most difficult job on earth.
1 Go to commentsStarts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
4 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
4 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
3 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
3 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
228 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
90 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
228 Go to comments